


red and blue amongst the snow and ice

by banditoheart (2space_lesbo1)



Series: Snowboard One Shots [2]
Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: Canada, Canon Compliant, Did I mention fluff?, Does Take Place after ep 7 but there aren't many spoilers, Domestic Fluff, Everything is Beautiful and Nothing Hurts, Falling In Love, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Getting Together, Insecure Kyan Reki, M/M, Nonbinary Character, Oblivious Kyan Reki, Pining Hasegawa Langa, Self-Indulgent, Snow, Snowboarding, Soft Hasegawa Langa, Soft Kyan Reki, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, for now anyway, theres a lot of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-02-26
Packaged: 2021-03-17 03:00:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29710605
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/2space_lesbo1/pseuds/banditoheart
Summary: Langa takes Reki with him to Canada to teach him snowboarding.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Series: Snowboard One Shots [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2190897
Comments: 22
Kudos: 400





	red and blue amongst the snow and ice

**Author's Note:**

> OWO
> 
> this is very fluffy and self indulgent, negl. i just..... they, ya know? 
> 
> anyway, had this idea since like ep 4 so i finally wrote it lol
> 
> hope y'all enjoy!!!

Reki shivers as the door opens, Langa stepping back inside. He stays huddled in a pile of blankets at his spot on the couch, on the side close enough to the fire. He pouts at Langa when the Canadian crosses his arms and raises an eyebrow at him. He tugs at the blankets in a weak attempt to capture and keep any warmth on himself. 

He was not used to this freezing weather. 

Langa was currently wearing one of his old cold weather outfits, from when he lived here. The jacket, a dark blue, is large with a furry hood. His pants are a solid black, and though they look thin, Reki knows they are actually thick and good at trapping warmth. He's wearing a pair of lighter blue gloves made for this weather, as well as a blue beanie and scarf. So overall, most of his outfit is blue. 

“Reki,” Langa began, his tone flat and unforgiving. “We came all the way here because you wanted to learn how to snowboard. Not sit inside all day.”

“But Laaangggaaa!” Reki protested with a whine. “It's so cooold!! I didn't think it'd be this cold!” 

Langa frowns at him, hands on his hips. “I warned you about how cold it was going to be,” he said, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “But you insisted. Besides, I made sure to bring us during the warmest part of the year.” 

Reki’s eyes nearly bulge out of his skull at this piece of information. “This is  _ not  _ warm, Langa!” he whined loudly, and pulled his arm close to his chest. He wasn't saying anything about it, since it didn't really matter, but the cold weather was also causing his recently healed arm to ache like it was sprained all over again. But since it wasn't a problem, he wasn't about to bother Langa about it. “I'm freezing my ass off, and I'm not even outside!” 

“Well you wanted to learn to snowboard!” Langa points out relentlessly, and stomps over to stand in front of Reki. The latter watches with him large and suspicious eyes, gripping at his pile of blankets together. “And that's what we're going to do!” 

And with that, Langa is ripping the blankets from Reki’s form. The red head yelps as he's all but thrown off of the couch from the process, his body instantly breaking into a mess of shivers as soon as he is exposed to the air. His teeth chatter, and he glares up at Langa. 

It's not as if Reki isn't dressed for the weather, either. He's wearing what he always wears during the colder seasons; a yellow sweatshirt with a pair of blue sweatpants. This combination has kept him warm during the winters in the past- but this weather was ridiculous, so it almost felt like he was completely naked in it, despite his thick clothing. 

“Langa!” Reki exclaimed, hopping to his feet to wrestle for the blankets that had been stolen from him. The Canadian merely sidesteps him and tosses the blankets into a nearby closet. Reki goes to run for the closet, but a cool hand catches his wrist before he could go far, and he stumbles to a halt. He whines. “Langaaaa, it’s so cold!!” 

“Then we’ll get you more layers,” Langa replied sternly, only releasing Reki’s wrist to grab another large and puffy jacket. This one is a bright red, and Reki recalls Langa buying it for him from the store before they had even left Japan. He'd said Reki wasn't preparing for the cold properly, so he'd do it for him, while Reki kept brushing him off. Now, Reki is beyond glad Langa hadn't taken Reki’s horribly led reassurances. He'd have to pay him back soon. “Here, wear this. Let me get the rest while you put it on.” 

Reki slides his arms into the thick jacket, zips it up, and sighs in relief when he finds himself protected better from the cold. He doesn't like how stiff the jacket makes his arms feel, but he supposes it's a small sacrifice to make for warmth. Langa next offers a pair of red pants similar to his own pair, telling him he could slip them on over his sweatpants, and then a pair of thick, red gloves and a red beanie hat. 

Reki was starting to see a pattern in coloring here. And while red was his favorite color, it wasn't his first choice of coloring to use in his outfits. He liked yellows and blues a lot more. But he wasn't about to tell Langa that. He finds it endearing that the Canadian associates him with a color so much. Especially his favorite color, at that. 

He pulls every article Langa offers him, and soon enough, he feels like a marshmallow, hardly able to move or breathe. He puffs his cheeks out with frustration, and Langa laughs lightly at his expression. 

“Clothes are a bit stiff right because they're new,” he said in explanation. “Don't worry, they'll get more comfortable once you've worn them a while.” He then tilts his head, thoughtful. “Also, didn't you say we were going to be speaking English while here? So you could practice?” 

Dammit. Langa had remembered. Reki groans, throwing himself at Langa. He's somehow still able to latch onto the Canadian, despite his lower speed and movement. “I was joking!!” he exclaimed, nuzzling into the spot the taller boy’s neck met his shoulder. Langa merely sighs heavily, and shifts his feet to make sure he can hold their combined weight. “You know how bad I am at English!! Let's just stick with Japanese!” 

Langa narrows his eyes at him. “Nope!” he exclaimed, and suddenly he'd switched languages, “My country, my rules.” He grins at Reki’s wide eyes, and then winks at him. Reki’s stomach does somersaults. Langa’s voice was somehow different when he speaks English- he hadn't noticed the slight pitch change, but now, hanging from his shoulder, he could tell that his voice was a tad lower than when he speaks Japanese. He says every word with complete confidence, as well, and the way he pronounces the words made his cheeks tingle. He sounded so… beautiful? That wasn't the right word, but Reki couldn't think of anything else. “I want to see if you've been paying attention to my teachings, anyway.” 

Now, Reki is… alright at English. He's average at it, at best. He isn't failing nor excelling at the class. He's just doing enough to pass it. He's way better at reading and listening to English, too, as opposed to writing or speaking it. So, he wasn't doing too bad at translating most of what Langa was saying(he doesn't understand a few of the words, but he's using context clues to figure them out). The real challenge would be responding. 

He pouts at Langa, and does one more attempt to convince the taller boy to forget about the rule. “Ah, Langa…” 

“Huh? I don't understand you?” Langa said, and Reki’s pout turns into a scowl. He finally releases his grip on Langa, and pushes at his cheek as pulls back. He smirks at Reki, and pokes him in the side. “Come on, you'll never get better if you don't try!” 

With another groan, and the rolling of his eyes, Reki finally relents. “Fine,” he said, going with one of the most simple words he could remember. “Do we go now?” He probably sounded like an idiot, but Langa was merely grinning at him like he was singing a beautiful song. It makes Reki feel special. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed, and grabs one of Reki’s hands. Huh. He must be really excited if he's the one initiating the contact first. 

He yelps in surprise when Langa all but drags him outside, briefly catching a glimpse of Langa’s mom watching them with amusement in her eyes. She'd come with them to Canada to act as their guardian on the trip, and to visit some old family while they were here. She doesn't bother them too much, however, typically letting them do what they wanted to do that past two days. Which, was mostly just sitting under the same blanket a bit too close for friends on the couch watching dumb animated movies. 

He likes Langa’s mom. And her cooking. She was way better at cooking western food than his own mom. Not that he'd admit that to her. 

He lets out another yelp when he registers just how cold it is, the freezing air somehow still managing to nip at his well covered skin. His teeth start to chatter instantly, but it's almost made better when he hears and feels the snow crunching under his feet. He hasn't heard it much, but he loved the sound, and the feeling. He loved it more than the sound of the rain on his window, but less than how a skateboard’s wheels on pavement sounded. 

He breaks out of his thoughts when he realizes Langa had stopped tugging on him, and pauses when he notices the way the taller boy was looking at him. Well, it was no longer cold. The soft expression and smile on Langa’s face directed towards him was almost enough to make him completely forget how cold he actually is. 

But then Langa is grinning mischievously, and the next thing Reki knows, he's being shoved face first into the snow. He yells as soon as he lands, and flails to get back up, all accompanied by Langa’s light laughter. Reki scowls up at him and pushes back up, quickly tackling Langa into the snow as well. 

Both boys end up with their limbs tangled together as a mess sunk in the deep snow. Reki snickers at Langa’s surprised face, before the Canadian begins to laugh good natured ly in return. He then throws a handful of snow in Reki’s face, sending him backwards again. 

Reki lets himself sprawl out on his back in the snow, arms held out wide on either side of himself. He breathes heavily, watching with slight fascination at the sight of his own breath in the form of a small cloud. It disappears when Langa lands in the snow beside him, his icy blue eyes matching the freezing landscape around them, and this is when Reki realizes just how well Langa fits in here. 

He was perfectly comfortable, at home in the snow and ice. His light blue hair looks like the thick sheets of ice Reki had been seeing driving through Canada that covers the surfaces of lakes and ponds in a cool blue. His skin was almost as pale as the snow around them, making him look like a bundle of it himself. And his icy eyes look like pools of freezing water one night find in a cave full of crystals. 

Reki’s breath is stolen at him when he realizes once more, just how gorgeous Langa is. When he realizes just how hard he's fallen for the taller boy. 

It still strikes him that Langa even wants to spend time with someone like Reki, who is a jarring red spot in the blankets of snow. Someone like Reki who can still hardly keep up with him-

He's yanked forcefully from his thoughts when Langa rests his chin on Reki’s chest, looking up at him through those gorgeous eyes. “Get out of your head, Reki,” he said, and Reki is shocked once more by the use of English. Was he going to get used to it? No, probably not. “I can tell when you're criticizing yourself. Stop it.” 

Reki’s face begins to burn, and he knows his face has to be the same shade as his hair. “N- no,” he stuttered, the spot where Langa’s chin makes contact with him like a beacon. He tries his best not to focus on it, but Langa isn't making it any easier by staring at him with the crystal orbs that are his eyes. But then Langa narrows his eyes at him, and he knows he can't lie to him. “Sorry…” he ends up muttering, sticking his lips out in a playful pout. 

Langa rolls his captivating eyes- how are they even more captivating in the snow than usual? That isn't fair- and blows a breath on Reki’s face. Reki sticks his tongue out at him, and Langa pushes back to his feet, offering Reki a helping hand. 

Reki takes it without much thought, and then they are truly on their way to the snowboarding lodge. Well, the lodge where people can go to snowboard, but also ski and stuff. Langa and his mom have a locker there where they keep all of their snowboarding gear, and his mom had already offered to buy him a board and the things needed as well. Reki had declined politely- he'd brought some of his savings with him to afford it. 

They don't say much while they make their way to the lodge, but they walk close to one another, their shoulders and arms brushing the other’s. Reki sticks closer to Langa than usual- this is unknown land for him, with weather he doesn't understand, and Langa knows all of it like the back of his hand. It reminds him of how Langa had followed him around like a lost puppy when he'd first moved back to Japan. Now he understands why. 

Langa doesn't comment on his closeness, and they only exchange a few words when Reki sees something he thinks is cool and Langa explains to him what it is. There aren't many buildings in the area, because they are on the mountainside, but they do occasionally spot a cabin or two. Langa points out which are for vacation rent, and which are the neighbors he'd grown up with. 

“That's Mrs. Dawson’s house,” he said, pointing to a small cabin. “She lives with a bunch of cats and her wife, and her nieces and nephews come to visit sometimes. They don't have their own kids.” 

And that's what reminds Reki that they are in another country. Sure, gay marriage and the like are legal in Japan, but they're not too common or very open about it back home. Maybe that's just because Japanese culture is more about being politely quiet, or because it's not the more “traditional lifestyle”. Either way, Reki’s eyes widen to learn of a couple like that so soon in their visit. 

“Her wife, Mrs. Felix makes the best cookies,” Langa continued, and his eyes shone in remembrance of the taste. “I'll take you to meet them later.” 

Reki nodded in response, and they continue to trudge through the snow. 

The nearest city is a few kilometers away, but the lodge is still crowded and busy. Reki looks up at the slope in the mountain nearby, shocked by how high it went. He doesn't visit mountains often, and especially not ones covered in this much snow. The lifts are on the opposite side of the lodge, and he can see dots of people already heading up. 

He lets out a sigh of relief when Langa holds the door open for him and he's hit by a breeze of warm air. He shakes himself off a little to free himself of the clumps of snow that had gathered in his hair, and then look back as Langa makes his way inside as well. 

“Langa!!!” it was a high pitched voice, and before Reki knows it, someone is flinging themself on Langa very similar to how he does. Langa’s face stays impassive, and he doesn't seem to mind the random person now attached to his shoulders. The person, short and of Japanese descent, is grinning up at him, their chocolate eyes shining. “Oh, it's been so long! I'm so glad you've returned!!” 

Upon closer inspection, Reki spots a name tag clipped to one side of their chest, reading, “Hello, my name is Piper” as well as the fact that they work at the lodge. He can also see their preferred pronouns in the corner of the tag, which takes Reki by surprise. Most Japanese places wouldn't include those. But, he reads them as “I go by they/them!” and adjusts accordingly. Langa places a hand on their shoulder and pries them from his shoulders, his lips a thin line. Oh, right. He's not a fan of physical contact. It was strange to see him pushing this Piper off of himself, though. Every time Reki does something similar, he just sighs and eventually returns the gesture. Strange. 

“Hello, Piper,” Langa responded, and moved to stand beside Reki. “I'm home.” 

“Well I can see that, silly!” they exclaimed, and then seemed to take notice of Reki’s presence. They turn to look at him, their black bangs falling in their eyes. “Oh, hello! You must be one of Langa's new friends from Japan! I'm Piper!” They hold one of their hands out in greeting. 

Oh. Right. Reki has to respond, now. He puts his best grin on and takes their offered hand, trying to think of a good response. “My name is Reki,” he said, doing his best to not stumble over the words. That would be embarrassing. “Nice to meet you, too.” 

They grin at him, and he wonders if he really did such a bad job. “Welcome to Canada!” they said. “Hopefully Langa is explaining everything to you. He can be really blank headed sometimes.” 

Langa rolls his eyes at them, and then grabs one of Reki’s wrists, tugging at him. “Let's go get ready, Reki,” he said, and Reki lets himself get dragged along. He seemed annoyed. 

“You okay?” he asked as they entered a crowded locker room. Langa shrugs, brushing past many of the other people inside. Reki once more sticks close to his side, not wanting to get seperated. 

“They can just be obnoxious, sometimes,” he replied offhandedly, and Reki frowns at the back of his head. But Piper had seemed nice. Maybe a bit loud and energetic, but Reki was the same way…. Did Langa think he was annoying, too, then? “Stop thinking like that, Reki.” 

Reki’s eyes widen when he's once more caught in the act of his mental self deprecating. “How do you know?” he asked, perturbed. 

“Your eyebrows scrunch and you get this far away look when you're being mean to yourself,” Langa said, stopping in front of a tall locker. He pulls a key from his pocket, and unlocks the door. “Now, I already bought you a board and gear that should fit-”

“I was going to!” he protested, launching at him. He grabs both of Langa’s shoulders, wrapping his legs around his waist before shaking him. How dare he! Reki was going to do that! Langa grunts at the sudden addition of his weight, but makes no moves to shake him off, which almost puzzles Reki further than before. Piper had done something similar to him earlier, and judging by how they acted around him, they'd known one another longer than he and Reki had. So what was the difference in his reactions to physical contact? “Not you!” 

“You don't know how to shop for snowboarding gear,” Langa said easily, continuing to grab the items from the locker. Reki deflates, his chin landing on one of Langa’s shoulders. He continues to cling to the taller boy, however, wanting to see inside of the locker. If he'd been looking closer at Langa's face, however, he would have noticed the pink tint on his cheeks. He's too busy looking at all of the snowboarding gear, though. “So I went ahead and did it for you. Here, try these on.” 

He hands Reki a slick and thin shirt, that is a similar red to the clothes Langa had gotten him earlier. He's also handed a thick jacket that is designed to be warm and lightweight at the same time, so it's smaller than the jacket Reki is currently wearing. Along with those, Langa passes him a pair of pants made similarly to the jacket, which is a darker red than the jacket. He glances around, and realizes everyone was changing in the locker room, so he does so as well, finding the clothing to be near perfect fits. The jacket is a bit loose, but the shirt underneath makes up for this by being nearly skin tight. He zips up the jacket and then turns back to Langa, taking the next few objects offered. 

Next is a pair of round goggles, which he slips over his headband, as well as thick, comfortable gloves and a pair of large, heavy boots. He knocks on the tip, producing a hollow sound. Langa instructs him on how to properly slide them on and then begins to change into his own gear. 

And no, Reki does not stare at Langa’s back when he peels his shirt off. His cheeks do not burn hot, and he does not swallow heavily to see just how muscular he actually was beneath his clothing. He quickly looks back down at his shoes when Langa sits down beside him to pull on his own boots, yanking at the laces. 

“Everything fit?” Langa asked, and when Reki nodded he pulled out two boards. Reki gasps when he sees them- the way they are crafted was done beautifully, the edges and tips curved smoothly and expertly. Langa hands him one- it is mostly orange, with accents of red on the sides and a bright red sun on the bottom, pink clouds hovering around it on either side amongst the orange sky. He stares down at it with wide eyes, taking in every detail of the board. It's so shiny, much shinier than any skateboard he's ever seen. The bottom is smooth, too, made to help its user glide across the snow. There are black, metal clasps on the top, which is bumpy and rough, the only thing similar to a skateboard on it. He stares worriedly at the bindings, being abruptly reminded that his feet are going to be stuck to it. 

“The bindings were already attached to the top,” Langa explained, sitting down beside him once more. His board is just as elegant as Langa’s, if a bit longer and skinnier. It is a dark blue with light purple accents, and the bottom design is of a grey wolf against a black sky. It's eyes are glowing a bright yellow, the moon hangs lazily in the background. It looked epic. “I tried to get one that was similar to a skateboard, so that you'd feel more comfortable.” 

“I love it!” Reki said with an excited grin, lightly bumping his shoulder against Langa’s. He tries to not think about how Langa chose this board specifically for him, because the thought of Langa seeing this board and thinking of Reki makes his stomach tingle with butterflies again. “I can not wait to learn!!” 

“Well we can go now,” Langa said with one of his signature soft smiles. Well, Reki thinks that it's a regular smile. But both Miya and Shadow disagree, saying that they only ever see him smile like that when he's looking at Reki. Which would be ridiculous. Why would he reserve such a soft look for Reki and Reki only, after all? “Come on, I'll tell you the basics while we're riding the lift.” 

As they head for the lift, Piper finds them again, and falls in step beside them. “Oh, I caught you!” they said with a grin, giving Reki a small wave. “Is this your first time boarding?” 

Reki meets their gaze and grins in return, finding their smile infectious. “I skateboard!” he replied, patting himself on the chest. Langa chuckles at him, quietly watching their conversation as they make their way through the lodge. It was bigger than Reki originally thought. He then jabs a finger back at Langa. “Taught him to!” 

Their eyes light up. “Oh, really?” she turns her grin on Langa, who nods in answer. “Wow, you must be a really good teacher, then! He's not that good of a learner. Sometimes I swear he's on another planet when he dozes off.” 

Reki shrugs, glancing at Langa momentarily. “Not hard to teach! Very easy. He learned fast,” he said, stumbling over only a few of the words. He'd momentarily forgotten the word “learned”, and had to scramble for it mentally, but Piper waited for him to finish as patiently as they could. “Natural.” He grins proudly and wraps an arm across Langa’s shoulders, pulling him down to be at his height as they continue walking. Piper’s eyes widen, seeming to take note of the action, and the lack of protesting from Langa’s end. They hum. 

“I'm glad he found you, Reki!” they said, and their smile turned soft. “I grew up with him. He was always shy and quiet. So I'm happy to know he has you now.” 

Reki’s own smile softens, and he looks at Langa momentarily, not missing the light flush of pink on his cheeks. “Me too,” he said softly, and the pink turns darker. Weird. Was he overheating? 

Piper is watching them closely, before they clasp their hands behind their backs. “Well, it was nice meeting you! If you stop by the lodge the rest of the week, come find me!” with that, they scurry off to help some confused customers. 

Reki watches them leave before finally freeing Langa from his grip. The taller boy slowly draws away, clearing his throat as he does so. Reki adjusts his grip on his new board, and can't help but admire it once more as they step back outside. The line to the lifts isn't too bad, and Langa has to give him brief instructions of how to hop on, but they get on quickly. 

“Okay,” Langa began, as their feet left the ground. Reki looks over the side as they rise higher and higher. “To begin with, we already know your lead foot from skateboarding. It should be the same as snowboarding.” Reki nods in response, kicking his left foot out. Langa nods back. “I'll help you put the bindings on when we get to the first slope, so don't worry about that. When you're getting ready with that, you'll also need to clip the leash on your knee. It's just there to make sure you don't lose your board if you fall off.” 

With a snicker, Reki says, “I should get one for my skateboard when we get back.” 

Langa lets out a breathy laugh before continuing, “When we get to the slope, and once you've strapped on, I'll show you the proper way to stand up. Usually, you'll want to keep the board sideways so you don't slide down instantly. I'll help you stand for the first time, so you can properly learn to get up on your own.” 

Reki hums, but is starting to get nervous. Just the idea of his feet being strapped to the board makes his stomach do metaphorical flips, and the height they've reached on the lift doesn't help with that. He's not afraid of heights, and he thinks he did okay on the plane ride- he let Langa sit in the window seat-, but he hasn't been this high before where he could fall off any moment. He shifts in his spot, and can feel Langa’s gaze on the side of his head. 

“Are you nervous?” he asked, and of course he could read him so easily. Reki wets his dry lips, and nods in answer. The taller boy smiles gently. “I get it. Lifts are scary the first time.” He then seems to hesitate, before making his mind up, lightly grabbing Reki’s hand. Reki starts at the contact- Langa wasn't usually the one to initiate it. But he doesn't pull away. “I'll hold your hand, since you're scared.” 

His cheeks flush once more. It must be from the cold. 

They get to the top of the lift, and Langa quickly tells him the way to leap off. He does exactly as Langa instructs, and yet, he lands face first in the snow anyway. Langa lands perfectly, of course, and laughs good naturedly at Reki before helping him to his feet. He grimaced and shakes himself to rid himself of any leftover snow, and then picks up his board. 

“Alright,” Langa said as they approached one of the less crowded slopes. Reki stands on his toes to look down at it, stomach twisting at what appears to be a steep drop. “We’re going to strap up here. Watch me do it first, and then I'll help you do it.” 

Reki watches closely as Langa bends over, placing his right foot in the front bind. He slips and slides and clamps all sorts of pieces together, doing it slowly and exaggeratedly so that Reki could see what he was doing. He then works on his second foot, somehow still standing as he does so. He keeps his board perpendicular to the slope, his knees locked. 

Once he's finished, he goes through the process of removing everything again. He motions for Reki to sit, which he does quickly. He already knows if he tried to do it standing he'd just fall on his face again. Langa points to the proper pieces to attach and helps him a few times when he gets confused by the twists and curving. Then, once both feet or strapped down, Langa helps him stand, keeping him perpendicular to the slope as well. 

“Don't move yet,” Langa instructed, and redoes his bindings. “Okay, now I'll show you the basics of maneuvering, and then you can try it on your own. And don't worry about going out of control- this slope isn't too steep.” 

Reki would beg to differ that it was, in fact, extremely steep, but he keeps his mouth shut about it. Langa would probably just laugh at him if he thought this was a small slope. 

Langa falls into some kind of stance, and Reki instantly starts to jot everything down on a mental note pad, taking notice of every detail in the way Langa stands, moves and starts sliding. Langa balances easily, not showing even the slightest sign of a wobble, and turns the board to face Reki again by twisting his waist and legs. The board follows his movement, and then he's digging the side into the snow to stop himself. 

“To steer, it's similar to skateboarding,” Langa explained, and twists his body again in emphasis. “The only distinction is that there isn't much friction, and you're attached to the board, so you turn fully with it.” He does another turn, and Reki nods. 

“Like this?” Reki muttered to himself, copying Langa’s exact movements. His stomach plummets when he first begins to slide down the incline, before he recalls the many steep hills he'd skated across back in Japan all the time. He quickly calms himself and tests out the motions, first turning to the right and then the left, finding it to be like he was almost gliding across the snow. He can't stop himself from grinning- this feels almost just like skateboarding! He glances up at Langa to find the taller boy smiling in awe at him, and begins to turn his board to stop, only to lose his balance and to fall on his side in the snow with a loud oof. 

He blows at a strand of hair that had fallen into his face, grumbling to himself when Langa’s amused laughter reaches his ears. He pushes up and shoots Langa a glare when the taller boy stops in front of him, his grin much more amused now. 

“Aside from falling, you actually did really good!” Langa reassured him. His grin turns gentle now as he places his hands on his hips. “In fact, I think I'd call you natural at it, if not for the fall.” 

Reki rolls his eyes, but can't stop his stomach from flipping and his cheeks from flushing at how proudly Langa is staring down at him. He bites down on the inside of his cheek, averting his eyes to the side. “How do I get up?”

“Oh! Yeah!” Langa said. “This is the perfect opportunity to show you!”

Langa then unceremoniously falls into the snow beside him, his grin remaining in place when he meets Reki’s gaze. And that's when Reki is once more hit with how beautiful Langa was, and how lucky he is to have him in his life. Especially with how close they are. 

“So, to get up on your own,” Langa began, and flips onto his back. “Grab the board with your right hand,” as he explains, he does the actions, back bending as he places his left arm beneath himself, “and then push up with your left arm. Keep the center of your gravity in your stomach, and then push up. You may fall the first few times you try.” And he's up again, easy as that. Reki mutters something about a ‘damned Canadian’ even as he watches with awe at how naturally Langa moves, as if it was second nature to him. And it might as well be. “If you can't get up the first five times, I'll help you.” he said with a wink. Reki’s stomach catches butterflies. 

In the end, Langa does have to help him get back up. He got close to getting up on his own sometime around the third attempt, and scowled at his friend when he continued to laugh lightly at his struggle. “It is hard!” Reki said with a pout, and Langa covers his hand with his mouth in a futile attempt to muffle his soft laughter. “Show me more!!” he demanded, trying to get Langa to stop laughing at him. 

Langa’s laughter trails off and he nods in ascent, before continuing the basics. Reki follows his instructions and examples, surprising himself by not falling behind. He stays close to Langa’s side throughout the practice, and he catches Langa sneaking adoring looks his way. And what do you know? There are more butterflies in his stomach. 

Reki even at one points manages an ollie over the side of a small hill, laughing joyously as he flies through the air. At the last second before he hits the ground, he remembers that the board is still attached to his feet and adjusts the way he lands accordingly. He can feel Langa’s eyes following his arch, and after he lands, turning to face where the taller boy is, his eyes widen when something large and heavy rams into him, sending him and the thing tumbling to the ground. 

He gasps as he's once more enveloped in snow, and is surprised to find Langa’s eyes shining brightly with excitement staring back at him, a large grin on his face. “Reki!!” he shouts, and Reki is sure if he'd been any louder everyone on the mountain could have heard him. Langa doesn't normally take this volume when speaking, but Reki could feel his excitement buzzing in his voice and the spots his body touches Reki’s. Both of their faces are bright with red as they stare at one another. “That was amazing! You're amazing, Reki!!” 

Reki can feel his heart speeding up at the way Langa was staring at him- like he was the most beautiful and amazing thing in the world, like he was the  _ only  _ thing in his world. He swallows heavy at the sudden clump in his throat, blinking owlishly up at his friend as he tried to process what was happening. 

“It took me months to perfect my own snowboard ollie!” Langa continued to gush, seemingly oblivious to Reki’s swirling emotions. “And you did it on your first try! You're so cool, Reki!!” 

And he's hugging Reki, all but pulling him into his lap in the snow. Reki’s mind screeches to a halt- he is not used to Langa being the touchy one, especially not to this extent. Yet, here he was, being basically squished against the taller boy’s chest. Langa is ruffling his hair, and he can feel his body trembling with excitement. 

Oh, yeah. Snowboarding was basically Langa’s entire life, similar to how skateboarding was Reki’s passion. Of course he would react in this way. Reki just couldn't compute that it was over  _ him _ specifically. 

“Stop thinking like that, Reki! You did so good!!!” Langa said, somehow once more stopping his dark train of thoughts. Reki then catches onto Langa’s excitement, and returns it with a large grin of his own. 

“Think so?” Reki asked, closing his eyes momentarily to fully grin at him. “It felt cool!”

“Yes! You  _ looked _ cool!” Langa said, pride still clear in his tone. 

Reki’s heart couldn't stop pounding the rest of the time they practiced the basics. A few hours passed, and the sun was beginning to set, the lodge was about to close, so they had to end practice short. Reki was freezing yet buzzing with a warm energy at the same time. He'd caught on so fast to everything Langa had taught him- only falling over when what would normally have your feet flying from the board tripped him up. He still wasn't used to having his feet stuck to the board. 

Langa’s expression is thoughtful as they head back towards the lodge, the lift ride back down seemingly shorter. He looks from Reki’s feet to his board critically, and Reki is curious of what he was thinking. He doesn't press, however, and by the time they enter the lodge Langa’s eyes light up with an idea as he twists to face Reki. 

“I know!” he exclaimed, and upon seeing Reki’s confusion at his sudden outburst, he backtracks. “We can do something similar to your board like you did to mine- just the opposite.” 

Reki purses his lips. “Meaning?” He hates giving one worded responses on any day, but English was still so hard to understand. 

“There is a type of board that has a friction pad in the center, usually for starters,” Langa explained, his eyes alight. “Well, we could add one of those pads to your board, so you can keep your rear foot out of the binding. You'll still need to keep the front binding on your lead foot, but your back foot being free may help you more.” 

Wow. Langa had thought that out for Reki. It makes himself special, as he ducks his head, cheeks flushing for the fiftieth time that day. They tended to do that around Langa. 

“If you think it will work,” Reki replied, but he thinks it over and, yeah, that would really help him. Langa nods eagerly in response, before noticing Piper approaching them. Their hands are held behind their back as they approach. 

“Hi again!” they said, smiling to both boys. “How was your first day boarding?”

“Fun!” Reki exclaimed with a small hop. “I ollied!”

Piper’s eyes widen. “Really? Already? That's amazing!” they said, and their smile widened into a grin. They bounce on the balls of their feet, their eyes filled with awe of Reki’s achievement. “You must be a natural, then!” 

Reki wasn't used to so much praise. He grows bashful, chuckling sheepishly at their attention. Langa catches their attention to ask, “Piper, do you have any friction pads that would fit Reki’s board?” 

They nod. “Yup!” they say, and then hold their hands out. “Just lemme borrow your board and I'll find the right size!”

“Thank you,” Reki said with a smile, and they nod once more as they take his board with utmost care. They then scurry off to find the appropriate pad. 

They enter the now mostly empty locker room and change at the same time. He does his best to keep his eyes away from Langa, but when someone’s body is that ripped it's hard not to stare. His cheeks burn as he pulls the large jacket from earlier back over his shoulders, and he does his best to hide his face from Langa as they exit. Piper is waiting for them outside, and they had them Reki’s board. 

Reki takes it and looks at the new addition, running a bare finger down the pad. Yup. That's a lot of friction. Langa glances over his shoulder to make sure it was right, as well, and then offers a light smile to Piper. 

“Thank you for the help as always, Piper,” he said, and they nod with another smile. 

“No problem, boss! See you guys tomorrow!” with that, they leave the two boys alone to leave the lodge. 

Langa leads the way back out, once more holding the door open for Reki. This time, Reki is prepared for the blast of chilly air and doesn't even flinch. They fall in step with one another, nothing but the crunch of snow beneath their feet and the whistling of the wind accompanying them. 

About ten minutes into the walk, as night begins to fall, Langa pauses, and glances over at Reki. Reki stops in tracks as well, not missing how nervous Langa suddenly appeared. “Whats up?” Reki asked, concerned for his friend. Langa jumps slightly at the sound break in the white noise, before calming himself. 

“Before we head back, I have something to show you,” Langa said, taking Reki by surprise. He raised his eyebrows and Langa continued, “It's not far, and won't take long. And don't worry, I won't let you get cold.” 

His cheeks burn red once again. 

But he follows Langa nonetheless, not missing the fact that they are straying from the path pretty far. If he had been with anyone else, he would have been concerned about being murder. Especially if he'd been with Miya. But, he trusts Langa more than anyone else, so he trusts his friend to keep him safe and not to get them lost in the middle of the snowy slope. 

They reach a small hill, which they climb to the top of. There are no trees surrounding them, and Langa sits down at the top, before patting the spot beside him. Reki presses his lips together but sits down beside him anyway. “So why are we here?” Reki asked, almost forgetting how to properly phrase the sentence. 

“Just wait. And look up.” 

That was his only response. He sighs heavily, but does as instructed. 

And boy is he glad he listened. 

Because hardly even three minutes later and the sky was  _ lighting up _ . Reki’s eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets; the sky looked like it was being painted by glowing paint of all kinds of colors! The lines of colors dance together lazily, making small patterns and circles and strands. He looks at Langa, mouth hanging open to point at them and exclaim his amazement, only to pause. 

Langa wasn't looking at the lights. He was staring at  _ Reki _ . 

His eyes are smoothed at the corners, something like adoring love in the icy pools. He's smiling gently, his cheeks lightly painted pink, and it's as if he was staring at the most beautiful thing in the world. 

Which hits Reki heavily, because Langa was looking  _ at him _ . 

And not only that, but Langa was  _ beautiful.  _ The lights color his face in a pretty way, reflecting off of his eyes, making them look like a rainbow, giving him the appearance of a magical and gorgeous creature. 

And to Reki, he was. 

They stare at each other for a good few minutes, the colored lights continuing to highlight their faces. Reki almost gets lost in Langa’s eyes, and his fingers dig into the snow on either side of himself. That is, until Langa’s hand sneaks to grip his lightly, causing him to gasp lightly. 

“I wanted you to see them,” Langa said, his voice hardly above a light whisper. “..They… their beauty… reminded me of you.”

Reki is at a loss for words, and it feels a lot like he were a fish out of water. Where was this coming from? Langa felt the same way…? But how? Langa was so- “You're beautiful is what I'm saying, Reki,” Langa said, interrupting his thoughts, making his cheeks burn the hottest they had the entire day. His stomach does flips, his heart stuttering in his chest. 

He can't say anything at first, until, “...That's really cheesy, Langa.” he chuckled, and Langa’s blushing as well now in embarrassment. But Reki gives his hand a squeeze, and smiles just as gently at the other boy in return. “But… while we've been here, I have only been able to think of how pretty you look in the snow.” It was too hard to say in English, so he switched back to Japanese to best say it, but Langa doesn't seem to mind then. 

Somehow, Langa’s expression grows even softer. “You're just as pretty in it, too,” he said. “And when you caught onto snowboarding so quickly? You're so amazing, Reki. I mean that from the bottom of my heart.“ 

They fall silent again, highlighted by the sky lights. 

“Well.. I love you, from the bottom of my heart,” Reki said eventually, and Langa smiles softly. 

“And I love you, Reki,” Langa admits in return. 

They sit there together for a while longer, basking in one another's love and warmth, with the lights as their company. 

**Author's Note:**

> lemme know if you liked it, i love comments :^)


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